Developmental neurotoxicity of methanol exposure by inhalation in rats. Research report, June 1990-June 1994

The possibility of widespread methanol exposure via inhalation stemming from its adoption as an automotive fuel or fuel component arouses concern about the potential vulnerability of the fetal brain. This project was designed to help address such concerns by studying the behavior of neonate and adult Long-Evans hooded rats following perinatal exposure to methanol vapor at 4,500 ppm for six hours daily beginning on gestation day 6 with both dams and pups then being exposed through postnatal day (PND) 21. Blood methanol concentrations of the dams, measured immediately following a six-hour exposure, were approximately 500 to 800 micrograms/milliliter. Average blood methanol concentrations in the pups were about twice those of the dams. Neurotoxicity was assessed by behavioral tests used previously to reveal adverse effects following developmental exposures to ethanol, cocaine, heavy metals, and other agents. Exposure of neonates to methanol did not affect suckling latency and attachment on PND 5, or performance on the conditioned olfactory aversion test on PND 10. Exposure to methanol did alter performances in the motor activity tests. Methanol-exposed neonates were less active on PND 18, but more active on PND 25 than the equivalent control-group pups. Schedule-controlled running in adults displayed a complex interaction withmore » treatment. Changes in performance over the course of training differed between males and females depending on exposure to methanol. The results of the complex stochastic reinforcement schedule revealed behavioral differences due to methanol exposure in adults that were relatively subtle in nature and appeared after a new pattern of contingencies was introduced.« less